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From the Bride…When we first started planning the wedding, we definitely wanted an intimate outdoor setting for both the ceremony and the reception.  I envisioned an English garden feel – more like a dinner party than a traditional wedding. We wanted simple and elegant, without going overboard and over the top with flowers and decorations.  We also wanted a location that was convenient for local friends and family, but interesting and fun for out of town guests.  When we found Franciscan Gardens in San Juan Capistrano we automatically knew it was perfect for our wedding.

The majority of the wedding decorations were hand crafted by my mother and her best friend. My favorite touches had to be the ring pillow and cake topper my mom made, the stunning garter made by a family friend and the guest book that my husband illustrated.  Oh! And the vintage screen that held our escort cards, that was pretty neat – I wish I had room to keep it in my house.

The venue was beautiful on its own and we wanted to let its charm carry most of the wedding.  We just added a few simple touches to make it more personal.  All the props were found at local antique stores or from a site called save-on-crafts.com (FYI that website is AMAZING). Everything had a vintage and rustic feel to it. I am very lucky to have such an amazing mom and such amazing friends in my life that worked so hard to pull all of it together.

Wedding Photography: Leila Brewster Photography / Event Design: Family Friend + Mother of the Bride / Venue: Franciscan Gardens / Make-up: Jamie Michele / Hair: Megan Wayt of Haute Locks / Wedding Cake + Desserts: Heidelberg Pastry Shop / Caterer: 24 Carrots / Wedding Cinematography: Lunch Pail Pictures / Wedding Coordinator: Family Friend / DJ: Brian of Elevated Pulse Productions / Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal / Floral Design: Petite Bouquet / Groom’s Attire: Macy’s / Bracelet: Borrowed from Family Friend / Garter: Handmade from Family Friend / Officiant: Family Friend / Bride’s Shoe: Isola via Nordstroms / Programs: The Bride / Wedding Invitations: Minted / Floral Sash + Hairpiece: Percy Handmade

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 24 Carrots, California Weddings, David's Bridal, Elevated Pulse Productions, Franciscan Gardens, Garden Wedding, Haute Locks, Heidelberg Pastry Shop, Isola, Jamie Michele, Leila Brewster Photography, Lunch Pail Pictures, Macy's, Minted, Nordstroms, Percy Handmande, Petite Bouquet, San Juan Capistrano
Post categories: Casual Elegance

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I designed everything. From the reception space and what to include, to the types of flowers I wanted, I chose the cake, the cherry blossom theme, the colors, the drums above the dance floor, uplighting, all of it.  It was so much fun to put forth all the effort and see it all come together on our wedding day.

I’m very detail oriented so put a lot of effort into the details. I did have a day of planner that kept things in order and helped with the flow which was great. I bounced different ideas off of her the month leading up to the wedding, which helped a lot too. I think my colors were pretty unique. I used a nectar with browns, ivories, and golds.  I hadn’t seen it before, but thought it would go well together.  Plus my now husband looks great in brown and earth tones so I knew regardless that that color of tux would look fabulous on him.

Something else that was unique was that I had guests throw mini beach balls that said “I had a ball!” at Jeff and I as we walked out of the church.  It was so much fun!  I also had a treasure chest/time capsule that asked guests to leave “well wishes for the new Mr. and Mrs.”  We vowed not to open the chest until May 7, 2012, one year later.

I also did a lot of home made things to make our wedding unique. I designed my own table numbers using frames and paper from Hobby Lobby and cut out the numbers myself.  I also made home made sign that said “Dinner, Dancin’ and Drinks” which my dad made out of wood and myself and friends painted.  Also, I used Etsy a lot.

Ceremony location: Covenant Presbyterian Church / Reception location: Byrons South End / Cake:  Cheesecake, Etc. / Flowers: Flowers from the Cellar / Gown: Paloma Blanca from Classic Bride and Formals / Shoes: Glint from Nordstrom / Bridesmaids’ dresses: Priscilla of Boston / Tuxedos:  New York Bride and Groom / Headpiece:   New York Bride and Groom / Veil: Classic Bride / Engagement Ring: Simon G Jewelry / Wedding Rings: Herlzberg Diamonds / Hair & Makeup: Lindsey Regan Thorne / Stationery: Red Stone Press / Entertainment: Split Second Sound / Photography: Kristin Vining Photography / Videography: Ka Studios / Officiant: Mark Deihl / Caterers: Best Impressions Catering / Rentals:  Best Impressions Catering / Transportation: Trolley’s, Inc. / Day of Planner: Sarah Bradley with Blue Feather Media / Uplighting: Sterling Designs / Dance Lessons: Metropolitan Ball Room

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Post tags: Best Impressions Catering, Blue Feather Media, Byrons South End, Charlotte, Cheesecake Etc., Cherry Blossoms, Classic Bride and Formals, Color Palette Pink, Covenant Presbyterian Chirch, Flowers from the Cellar, Glint, Helzberg Diamonds, KA Studios, Kristin Vining Photography, Lindsey Regan Thorne, Metropolitan Ball Room, New York Bride and Groom, Nordstroms, North Carolina, Paloma Blanca, Pricella of Boston, Red Stone Press, Simon G Jewelry, Split Second Sound, Sterling Designs, Traditional Elegance, Trolley's Inc, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

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McCall has become one of our favorite weekend getaway spots. We spent many weekends up there last summer and fall. One of our favorite things to do is go sit on the dock at ShoreLodge on the lake and watch the wedding receptions at the lakeside pavilion. I love to see the different styles of wedding receptions, dresses, etc. One weekend last fall John and I took a stroll down on the dock and I was completely surprised when he got down on one knee and proposed. I knew from the beginning that McCall was the perfect location for our wedding. With John and I and his family living in Boise and my family living in Lewiston, McCall was a perfect compromise, right in the middle. We drove up to McCall one weekend in late fall and drove around checking out possible venues. I was feeling discouraged a bit until we came upon River Ranch. It is beautiful! It is set out of town a bit with amazing mountain views, ponds, and a beautiful clubhouse.

I did most of the planning myself. I knew that I didn’t want to take away from the scenery that McCall offers, but I wanted to make it all things that we love. I chose greys and pewter with yellows and greens as our colors. We kept the ceremony site very simple as it was set in front of a pond with mountains in the background. We used shepards hooks with small cylinder vases with a variety of yellow and white and green flowers. Flower petals adorned the aisle. The reception was located just behind our ceremony site. River Ranch has a large brick patio just off the clubhouse. We took advantage of the perfect weather (75 and sunny) and hosted the reception outdoors under a tent. Light and dark grey linens covered the tables and the centerpieces were kept simple. I found some fun, modern (for a twist) vases that were the perfect colors for our tables and our flourist kept the flowers simple as the vases made a statement on their own.

I had always thought that I would wear a traditional wedding dress. After trying on 20 or 30 more traditional style dresses I was at a loss. I felt like I was looking at a stranger in the mirror. I took a chance and ordered my dress from Nordstroms online. I ripped into the box the moment it was delivered and instantly had butterflies. It was the only dress I had tried on that made me feel that way. It was perfect. It was uniquely beautiful and comfortable! John was in charge of figuring out the attire for himself and the groomsmen. He didnt want to wear a traditional tux, which I was more than fine with! The mix of modern attire was a nice contrast to the rustic elegance of the site.

Photography: O2 Photography / Cinematography: Chris Worden / Flowers: McCall Weddings / Ceremony Location: River Ranch / Reception Location: River Ranch / Invitations: Angela Sumner, Friend of the bride / Shoes: Nordstroms / Dress: BCBG, Nordstroms

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BCBG, Chris Worden, Idaho, McCall Weddings, Nordstroms, O2 Photography, River Ranch
Post categories: Contemporary, The Blog

{click here for ALL the juicy detailing from this style infused bash}

Georges and I have been dating for 10 years, yes 10 years. So I guess you could say, we’ve had a lot of time to think about our perfect wedding. And you know what, it wasn’t just the perfect wedding, it was the perfect day. For us, the perfection is in the details. We wanted to have a cocktail style wedding, no formal sit-down dinner, just drinks, desserts and lots of dancing. Our wedding invitation was inspired by old school concert posters, and our dear friend Cambria and I put together the design. She summed it up perfectly with the last line on the invite, ” come for the love, stay for dessert and cocktails”.

We found a music institute in Carmel Valley, California that graciously allowed us to host our closest 130 friends and family. What made the venue even better was their openness to allow us to bring our design aesthetic to the building. We are both into modern design and wanted those things to be a part of our wedding. We literally transported half of our living room to Carmel Valley (cake stands, platters, vases, artwork…we brought it all). The Institute looks like an old barn and was truly the perfect clean slate for us to add any personal touches we wanted. We wanted our friends and family to feel cozy, loved and happy. To help us generate this feeling, our wedding truly became a labor of love. Our aunts made appetizers, our moms made desserts, our uncles played live music during the ceremony, our cousins hung fabric, our siblings created floral arrangements and our best friends ran around town making sure everything was ready for our special day.

Without a formal sit down dinner, we wanted to offer our guests some yummy desserts to munch on. Our moms made dozens of baked goods. We also had apothecary jars filled with white taffy, marshmallows, rock candy and white chocolate covered espresso beans. Each treat was labeled with natural wood placeholders made by my step-dad. Every table was topped with moss, candles and locally bought yellow flowers. My sister and I created the boutonnieres and bouquets (using cotton as a base…a nod to my relative’s cotton ranch in the central valley).

Inspired by smile booths seen on Style Me pretty, we had a friend set up a camera staged with fabric, hanging globes filled with flowers, moss and feathers. Homemade mustaches and picture frames were used as props. These pictures are some of the best of the night. And some of the best “messages” of the night were captured on our two old typewriters that acted as a guest book. To close in the building and bring in our style, we spent hours putting together a 20 foot ribbon curtain that was placed near the bar and turned out better than expected. Opposite the curtain, my sister, brother and I created a two-tiered hanging floral.

The greatest part of the venue was the fact that they let us change the lighting for our night. We brought in four of our own Frank Gehry Cloud Lamps which were hung around the room. We also hung Tord Boontje lights that we cut up to dangle like garlands. Over the dance floor, several strands of lights were hung to set the mood.

As if we weren’t already extremely lucky, we actually won a wedding photography contest and the wonderful Melissa Diep flew out all the way from Chicago. She even had two of her friends drive over on the day of the wedding to help second shoot. We were so touched by their generosity.

We went back to the venue the day after the wedding and along with our families, cleaned the entire place. And you know what? I loved it! I know, what bride would ever want to go back to their venue and discover the madness of the prior nights shenanigans? But for me, it was so much fun to relive the previous night with our families as we were throwing things out. We were literally cracking up about the pictures taken in the photo booth, the dancing insanity and the funny conversations we all had at our wedding. I just didn’t want the fun to end…and I truly don’t think it ever will.

Photography: Melissa Diep Photography / Second Shooter: Danny Mendoza and Assistant: Yomi Foreman / Venue: Hidden Valley Music Institute / Florals: Sitting in a Tree (Bride’s company) / Wedding Dress: Aidan Mattox from Nordstroms (bride added extra ruffles and strap) / Bride’s Ceremony Shoes: Steve Madden / Bride’s Reception Shoes: BCBG (bride added the black ribbon) / Flower Hairpiece: Forever 21 / Groom’s Suit: Banana Republic / Tie, Shirt and Socks: Urban Outfitters / Groom’s Shoes: Converse / Invitation Design: Cambria Blakely Shaw and reply postcard photograph from bride’s great grandfather / Paper Goods: Sitting in a Tree / Food: Wholefoods / Cupcakes: Layers Bakery / Candy: A Candy Store / Day of Coordinator: Tori Hendrix of Sitting in a Tree (Bride’s business partner) / Painting of Bride: Kelli Murray / 8MM Videographer: Austin Hendrix Productions

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 64 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Candy Store, Aidan Mattox, Austin Hendrix Productions, Banana Republic, BCBG, California Weddings, Cambria Blakely Shaw, Carmel Valley, Converse, Danny Mendoza, Forever 21, Georges, Hidden Valley Music Society, Kelli Murray, Layers Bakery, Melissa Diep, Myka, Nordstroms, Sitting in a Tree, Steve Madden, Tori Hendrix, Tulle and Feathers, Urban Outfitters, Wholefoods, Yomi Foreman
Post categories: California Weddings, Carmel Weddings, Real Weddings, The Blog, Whimsical

{click here for the FULL uber cool wedding gallery}

Traci and Chris had the *coolest* DIY wedding at a loft space in downtown Los Angeles. The entire event was flower-free, as Traci was committed from the beginning to not spend a fortune on florals. She had a very Anthropologie wedding vision, in a yellow, black and white color scheme.

The ceremony entrance was such a fun reflection of who they are. The guys walked in to Final Countdown, and the groom walked in through the draping right when the song reaches its ultimate peak. The entire crowd roared with laughter!! Then the girls walked in to Dancing with Myself by Nouvelle Vague. Not a traditional song by any means, but so perfect for this very *indie* type wedding. Then cute tiny Traci walked in to I Melt With You by Nouvelle Vague…again, non-traditional, but oh so perfect! They met up at the ceremony altar and their friend officiated the entire ceremony from his Iphone.

For her bridal party personals, Traci decided to use Etsy to get the most adorable bouquets and bouts, made entirely out of buttons! For the centerpieces, she handcrafted each of the 16 centerpieces from vintage pieces and sewed her own table runners. The centerpieces ranged from antique bird cages, to a stack of vintage books covered in fabric, to shabby chic candelabras. No two centerpieces were alike, but they all played well into the theme and color scheme. She also created her own table numbers to go along with the feel of the tables, as well as her own menus and placecards. The placecards were the most adorable little die-cut pieces in the shape of the entrees, a fish, a lamb, and a tomato!

She outfitted her bridal party in prints, from the bridesmaids’ gorgeous floral black and white dresses, to the guy’s striped black and white shirts, and their amazing ties (including the groom’s)!!  She bought her amazingly stylish wedding accessories, (i.e. her black lace necklace and her feather headpiece) on Etsy.

Traci and Chris are just two of the most amazing people you will ever meet, and their wedding was a perfect reflection of who they are as a couple. Super fun, super relaxed, and super cool!!

Paola Spagnoletti of Just Chic Events

Photography: White Haute / Second Shooter: Ohana Photographers / Event Coordination: Just Chic Events / Venue: Tricot Showroom, Los Angeles, California / Cake: Laurie Mura of I Believe it’s Cake / DJ: Michael Antonia of The Flashdance / Draping and Lighting: Flowers on Mars / Wedding Dress: Jenny Yoo / Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Necklace: Etsy seller Tree and Kimball / Feather Headpiece: Batcakes Couture / Bouquets: Letters 4 Lilly / Ties: Cyberoptix Tie Lab / Bridesmaids: Maggy London via Nordstroms

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 39 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Batcakes Couture, California Weddings, Cyberoptix Tie Lab, Flowers on Mars, Jenny Yoo, Just Chic Events, Letters 4 Lilly, Loft, Los Angeles, Maggy London, Michael Antonia, Nordstroms, Ohana Photographers, Stuart Weitzman, The FlashDance, Tree and Kimball, Tricot Showroom, White Haute Photography
Post categories: Contemporary, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Real Weddings, Vintage Chic

Dress: Nordstrom’s / Flowers in front of marble wall & Favor boxes: Southern weddings blog entry
Bracelet: Ben-Amun / Centerpieces: theknot.com

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ben-Amun, Bridesmaid Dresses, Inspiration Board, Little Black Dress, Nordstroms, Southern Weddings, TheKnot.com, Wedding Glitz
Post categories: Bridal Party, Color Palettes, Contests, Inspiration Boards, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Style

Dress: Nordstrom’s / Flowers & Tent Picture: theknot.com / Rings: Southern weddings blog entry / Crystal Pendants: Leigh Miller photographer blog entry

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chandelier, Ikea, Inspiration Boards, Leigh Miller, Little Black Dress, Nordstroms, Southern Weddings, TheKnot.com, Wedding Glamour, Wedding Glitz
Post categories: Contests, Inspiration Boards

Cake by Michelle’s Patisserie /LBD by Karen Kane at Nordstroms / Bouquet by Sweet Pea Gardens / Second row: Tables and centerpieces from Ellen and Richard’s wedding featured on Southern Weddings Blog

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Color Palette Purple Lime Green, Inspiration Boards, Little Black Dress, Michelle's Patisserie, Nordstroms, Southern Weddings, Sweet Pea Gardens
Post categories: Contests, Inspiration Boards, Wedding Resources